How To Suck Honey With Extras [EN]: Chapter 16

19. Let’s Become a Mercenary (5)

After a short wait, the receptionist returned with a mercenary badge bearing my name.

It was even made of metal.

Sturdy, just how I like it.

“This is the mercenary badge, then….”

“Mercenary badges can be reissued at each guild branch in case of loss or damage.”

“Oh! That’s good. I don’t have to worry about losing it.”

Then I can treat it roughly! I can throw it around!

“However, it’s quite expensive, you know? There’s a fee for reissuance.”

“I will never lose it.”

I’ll keep it on me at all times, awake or asleep.

After that, I received a few reminders.

I paid special attention to the most important warning.

“Using the guild’s name for disreputable purposes is strictly prohibited.”

“Disreputable purposes….”

“Anything that tarnishes our name.”

“I understand.”

A mercenary badge is essentially the guild’s guarantee of the holder’s credibility.

Of course, it could be exploited.

The guild is warning against that.

But wanting to do something when you’re told not to is a troublesome part of human nature.

I asked as if I were joking.

“If, and this is just hypothetical, there’s a mischievous prankster who does such a naughty thing, how would you punish them?”

“Of course, they would pay the corresponding price.”

The answer was quite chilling.

“A name has value. If you tarnish it, you will receive a punishment commensurate with the offense, correct?”

“That’s a very reasonable statement.”

If someone misuses the guild’s name or commits a serious crime as a mercenary, the guild will prioritize dealing with them.

For example, if I cause trouble, at least A-rank mercenaries will come to kill me.

And if I desperately fight them off? Will there be a happy ending?

No way!

They’ll send someone even stronger next time.

Among the members of the Mercenary Guild, there are some of the strongest characters in the entire original story.

‘Making the Mercenary Guild your enemy is the stupidest thing you can do.’

I have no intention of doing anything crazy like that.

My goal is to make money and relax, so there won’t be any problems.

“I will never disappoint you.”

I carefully tucked the mercenary badge into my chest and replied.

Now that I’ve received this, I’m officially a mercenary affiliated with this place.

“Then, we look forward to your performance, Eilon.”

“Of course.”

The receptionist said that with a bright smile, and I returned a similar smile.

But, you know what?

I’m just trying to make money, so please don’t expect any great deeds from me.

I’m just going to make money and lie down!

Well, since this is a place I’ll be relying on often, in a way, I’ll be getting involved with them a lot in the future.

20. Buy My Potions! (1)

Now that I’ve got my mercenary badge, all that’s left is to buy a place to set up shop here.

There were several reasons why I wanted to register with the Mercenary Guild, but first, I needed a way to reliably prove my identity.

There are limits to a freeman ID.

Just proving that I’m an ordinary farmer isn’t enough to establish credibility.

But with a mercenary badge, my identity is somewhat guaranteed, so I can buy things.

‘The most important thing for business!’

That’s right, a shop!

I asked around and found one of the trading companies that sells buildings in the outer city.

Only trading companies with official permission from the lord can sell buildings in the outer city.

The place I went to was called Valt Trading Company.

It’s one of the companies licensed to sell buildings here.

I knocked on the door of the trading company, and I first explained my general purpose to the person who came out.

“I’m looking to buy a suitable shop.”

After a short wait, I was allowed to enter.

A merchant named Ropel greeted me personally.

Ordinary!

“Hmm, hmm. I heard you need a property to use as a shop?”

“Yes. A place big enough to hold a minimum amount of goods, and a warehouse. And lastly, a space to use as a workshop, if possible.”

I listed the requirements as I thought of the things I needed.

Ropel pondered for a moment and then showed me the suitable properties he had in his inventory, one by one.

He handed me blueprints showing the approximate size of the shops, and Ropel explained them separately.

“Personally, I recommend this property. It faces the largest road in the outer city, and many people pass by.”

“Oh….”

In modern Earth terms, is it a station area [a high-traffic location near a transportation hub, like a train station]?

Looking at the blueprint, the space is quite generous.

“So, these kinds of shops do well?”

“Of course! When you open a shop in a place like this, so many people gather that even the most experienced merchants can’t keep their wits about them.”

His explanation is quite exaggerated, but it’s true that the location has its advantages.

However, there’s a fatal problem.

“…Excuse me? How much is that shop?”

“41 gold coins. This is also considerably lower than the market price compared to other trading companies.”

Expensive! Filthy expensive! It’s about twice the price of the field I sold off!

Even if I emptied all my pockets, it would still be far short.

‘Y-Yeah, it’s a city after all. Building prices are murderous….’

Unfortunately, let’s lower the standards.

“Don’t you have anything cheaper?”

“…There’s a place like this.”

He pointed to another location.

Compared to the previous property, isn’t it quite out of the way?

“Not many people come here. Moreover, they hesitate to come even when the sun sets.”

“The price?”

“20 gold coins.”

That’s the same price I sold the field for.

‘I don’t think there’s any room for hesitation?’

I can’t even think about other properties.

There are places I could get with a little effort, but I can’t pour all my money into this.

I need to leave some spare money for potion ingredients, living expenses, and so on.

This is the only place that fits my budget.

“Then I’ll take this one.”

I pointed to the cheapest building, worth 20 gold coins.

“Are you really okay with this?”

“No problem! I even feel a strange destiny here. This place is enough.”

Business depends on location, but I didn’t come here with the naive idea of relying solely on that.

‘I can do it.’

There’s definitely a chance of success.

What I’m counting on isn’t location.

It’s the original story!

Let’s trust myself and trust the original story.

* * *

Before signing the official sales contract, I briefly visited the shop I purchased to check its condition.

‘Fortunately, it’s not that bad of a location, considering it’s out of the way.’

It’s not very big, but it’s suitable for selling potions alone.

‘It’s usable.’

If I tidy up the shop a bit, decorate it, and spread the word, it seems like there’s a good chance of success.

After that, I went straight back and signed the sales contract.

After signing, paying the price, and receiving the contract proving that this shop was mine, it finally felt real.

‘Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve ever bought a house?’

Even on Earth, I couldn’t escape living in a rented room.

I couldn’t even dream of anything more than that.

And yet, here I am, buying a place to stay, even if it’s just a shop.

I was a little overwhelmed.

After that, I stopped by a workshop run by woodworking artisans and ordered the furniture and household goods needed to decorate the shop.

In particular, I couldn’t leave out the tools for making potions and wooden bottles.

Next, I stopped by a trading company that handles herbs and placed an order for the medicinal herbs that would be the ingredients for the potions.

Fortunately, the medicinal herbs needed to produce Nymph’s Healing Water aren’t that expensive.

I won’t have to worry about running out of ingredients.

‘I’ve ordered everything I need to prepare.’

All the preparations will be finished in about a week.

I need to move busily in the meantime.

There are still many things left to do.

‘Clean and decorate the shop, make a stockpile of potions. Sigh… For the time being, I’ll be working when I open my eyes and working even when I close them.’

Just thinking about it makes my head spin.

‘How contradictory is it that I have to work because I don’t want to work?’

Just you wait until I make money! I’ll become a veritable anteater [someone who hoards or consumes a lot]!

Determined and vowing, I headed to another place with business to take care of.

There are a few places I must go.

First, the Mercenary Guild.

Since it was only a few days after registering that I was visiting again, the receptionist still remembered my face.

“Eilon, we have a good request for you….”

“No, no, I didn’t come to take a request today.”

“…Yes?”

The receptionist closed her mouth.

Yes, I know what you’re thinking. You’re probably wondering why a mercenary would come if not for a request.

I’m here today because there’s something I want to find out.

“Does the guild happen to sell potions?”

“Potions, you say? We certainly have a few in stock.”

Due to the nature of the guild, there are many requests where mercenaries get injured, so they always have at least a small supply of potions.

“But we don’t have enough stock to provide them to you, Eilon.”

“No. I just want to know the price of the potions the guild has. For future reference.”

“If that’s the case….”

After I made an excuse, the receptionist pondered for a moment and then told me the market price of the potions.

“The current market price for lower-grade potions is 25 silver coins. Mid-grade potions are 4 gold coins. High-grade potions are 10 gold coins.”

“What about the highest grade?”

“We can’t get those. Moreover, we only sell the potions I just mentioned to those who are performing legitimate requests, as we don’t have a large quantity.”

I heard that the potions are traded with the Spirit Guild and the Alchemist Guild at the Mercenary Guild headquarters.

And because each branch has a priority for allocation, these local branches suffer from a shortage of supplies.

Is there no other way to get potions?

I don’t necessarily have to trade in the royal capital, do I?

“Are there no potion producers here?”

“No.”

“Not even one? I heard a rumor that there used to be a spiritist here.”

“Well, I’ve never heard that they sold potions.”

Indeed, it seems even more precious because there are no producers.

‘Expensive….’

Even lower-grade potions cost 25 silver coins.

Generally, a C-rank mercenary earns between 30 and 40 silver coins for a request that matches their rank.

That’s when they’re earning well. Sometimes they earn less than that.

‘Then they probably can’t buy it easily.’

What mercenary would buy something that’s equal to their earnings? They’d just endure it.

Above all, the supply is woefully inadequate, so they can’t buy it even if they need it.

A smile spread across my face as I thought that far.

“Eilon? Is something wrong?”

“No. It’s nothing. Anyway, I understand about the potions.”

I hid my expression again from the puzzled receptionist and made an excuse.

But inside, I had to try hard to suppress the feeling of wanting to grin.

The lack of potion supply.

This is exactly the desirable phenomenon.

* * *

I visited another place.

“Where, where? The receptionist said it was here….”

I saw a long line in the distance.

‘This is the place.’

Just by looking at the line, I could tell what kind of place it was.

Their complexions were all bad.

‘…All patients who need treatment.’

These are people who need treatment because they are injured or sick.

The place they are heading to is a clinic run by the church.

In cities of a certain size or larger, the church operates various relief facilities, including clinics.

The purpose is, of course, to spread doctrine and gain the favor of the people.

‘The easiest way to gain favor is to pretend to be devoted to the common people.’

That’s not a bad thing.

Such relief efforts certainly save many people.

Above all, there are those in the church who sincerely believe in and practice it, and several were mentioned in the original story.

‘But it’s like pouring water on dry land.’

More than two-thirds of the people standing in line will never be able to set foot inside the clinic.

They probably know that fact, but they can’t give up.

Because it’s virtually the only means of treatment in this city.

‘The church is never flush with resources.’

If it’s a serious illness, they may receive treatment with some priority, but for most injuries, they have to wait in line and desperately hope for their turn.

Reaffirming that fact with my own eyes, I became even more certain.

Potions are hardly available on the market.

Moreover, other means of treatment are not functioning properly.

What that means is clear.

‘I can sell potions here!’